Michael Dickson Jungle
Book Performance Review
The
students at Henry Clay recently put on a rendition of the Disney classic “The
Jungle Book.” The play was essentially the Disney film, almost line for line,
which was not at all a bad thing, “The Jungle Book” is an amazing film to begin
with. The energy, conviction, and emotion with which the actors portrayed their
roles surprised me, as I hadn’t attended a school play since fourth grade, and
had thus expected the same level of enthusiasm and character. Instead I was met
by well portrayed characters who each clearly represented the traits they were
intended to. In addition, as anyone will know, Disney’s “The Jungle Book” is a
musical, having relatively short, peppy, and lighthearted songs interrupting
its typical train of dialogue. This too was captured in the school performance,
although it does lead to my singular complaint: I could barely hear anyone.
Although
the actors had microphones, several of them did not understand that, even with
a microphone, they were still required to project their voices. However, I
can’t place blame solely on the performers, the main reason for my forced
deafness was the musical accompaniment. The school band and orchestra had come
together to provide the symphonic backing that any musical requires.
Unfortunately, I don’t think they had ever practiced in the actual theatre. Their music, while incredibly beautiful and
proficiently performed, was significantly too loud. Even small tone setting
pieces intended to be background to certain scenes easily overwhelmed the
soft-voiced performers and the dialogue was quickly lost amidst the tumult.
In spite
of the occasionally lost dialogue, the actors easily portrayed the events of
the scene through convincing, emotive body language, as well as interaction
with stage pieces. That brings up another point, the stage was used to
incredible effect, and, several times during the performance, was altogether
ignored as actors ran through the seating of the theatre, immersing the audience
further. In addition, the stage was incredibly dynamic, with several set pieces
serving multiple roles, as well as having pieces that were brought in or
removed during transitions. My personal favourite were the “vines” which were
dropped down for King Louie’s musical number so that the monkeys could swing
back and forth, and partially over the audience.
Overall,
the play was highly enjoyable, and I would gladly go see it again if possible.
Despite the miscommunication between the sound booth and the orchestra, the
energy and expression of the actors, mixed with their interactions with the
stage, created a highly enjoyable experience, and a relatively faithful
retelling of a beloved, classic tale.
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